We awoke on the last day to a lovely morning with the sun streaming through the trees onto the site. The previous day we had managed to get the first aid tent and one of the dining shelters down so we were all hoping that today would be an easier day! Breakfast was centrally cooked by the leaders and was the best breakfast of the week of fish finger sandwiches (yes it sounds horrible but is really really nice). Once breakfast was over and everything was washed up it was time for full kit inspection that we had missed out on the previous day.

Skip and Paul laid out there kit at one end of the ground sheet and then the Scouts had to layout their kit in the same way. The boys tent was such a mess we were surprised that they managed to find all there stuff in the first place! The kit was all laid out really well unfortunately it took slightly longer than planned. This unfortunately meant that we were up against getting all the tents down and we still had quite a few left (Mess Tent, Leaders Tent, Dining Shelter, Patrol Tent and 2 Hike Tents). With a really push by everyone we managed to get all the tents down by 11. It was now time to get the kit moved to the explorers site, because they were leaving a day later than us we were leaving our equipment behind for them to transport back later.

At just about the time that we had to leave the site (12 noon) everyone carried there equipment down to the mini-bus that was waiting to bring us back to home. After a few presentations (unfortuantely not round the flag pole as planned) we were all just about ready to depart. We a last rush to the toilet everyone climbed aboard the mini-bus. I’ve never seen so many sleepy scouts in one place before, by the time we had reached the M25 most of the Scouts were fast asleep! After a short stop off at Fleet Services to eat our packed lunches we arrived back home at the Scout HQ around 3.30ish.

Thanks to all the Leaders that helped out over the 6 days and all the people that helped transport Kit and Scouts to the site. I hope everyone enjoyed the camp and we are already thinking about next year!

Day four started with a bit of lay in not having to get out of bed until 8am! The day started with a breakfast of Spam fritters and beans before heading off to the first activity of the day at 10am after doing all the washing up. The first activity of the day was a game of giant table football in an inflatable football pitch. We joined up with the explorers for this activity so that we had 12 players a side. The same as normal football its who ever can score the most that wins. But like table football you are attached to “poles” restricting your movement. After a couple of goals the teams would swap round to ensure that every just about got a go in a different place. There was also enough time for a round of Silly Yoya! with Ooo.

After the table football is was onto probably the bravest thing that we attended this week, going into the “heated” swimming pool. I think that is most probably the coldest I’ve been in a swimming pool. Unfortunately the wind was blowing and the sun was not quite out to give us enough warmth. We were luckly that we had the whole pool to ourselves and we played some silly games with the balls that were around including “Skip in the Middle” plus there was lots of splashing happening with everyone. The life guard did turn more of the heats on but it did not really make much of a difference, by the end of the hour there was only a couple of fool hardy souls left in the pool.

After the swimming there was abit of free time before lunch of cheese and ham ploughmans and sadly more washing up. The afternoons activity was orienteering but just as the activity was about to start the heavens opened and we had to delay the activity while we waited for the weather to clear up. After about 30 minutes the clouds parted and the sun started to shiny, so the scouts headed out on the orienteering course around the site. The course headed around the main paths of the sites and was to last for about 30 minutes -> 45 minutes. The scouts were about 10 -> 15 minutes into the course when the heavens opened again. After a call on the radios everyone started to head back to site alittle bit wet! We all gathered in the mess tent after getting out of the wet clothes and having a nice warm drink.

There was a short amount of free time before it was time to start sorting out dinner that like Day Three was to be cooked on open fires. This meant that wood had to be gathered and chopped, just as we were starting to light the fires with some damp food its started to rain again but thankfully this only lasted for a few minutes, an hour or so later and the food was cooking on the fires. Tonights dinner was a lovely sausage cassarole followed by a fruit flan and cream. Once the washing up for all the equipment was done it was time for the last activity of the day before supper of a camp fire. The day was rounded off with songs around the camp fire before just enough time for drinks and a biscuits before it was time for bed. Everyone was in bed and asleep by 10.30 (just about!)

Day Five

Alarms went off at 7.30am with the leaders already up and about sorting out breakfast the sleep scouts rose from their tents to put on kettles for teas and coffees. It was abit of a slow start to day five with everyone feeling quite tidied from all the activities so far. It was boiled eggs and soliders for breakfast this morning, which was nice and easy for the washer uppers. The morning activity was a small pioneering project that was done on the main activity field near the main entrance of the site. Using some of the site poles and alot of tent poles that were brought along from our Scout HQ we made a rocking bridge, unfortunately we could not find a great location for it so had to just use it on the field. With a great effort from everyone we managed to complete the project in double quick time finishing it by just after midday and giving time for everyone to have a play on it. Everyone did some fantastic knots and lashings on it so maybe we will have to make this one at the scout hut next term.

We then had to have a very very quick lunch of sausage rolls and pasta salad organised by the leaders plus washing up before we had to be back near the main activity field for the crate stacking in the afternoon. For the final time this week we joined up with the Explorers for the crate stacking. The aim of the activity was to get as high as you could standing on some old milk crates. There was two people ontop of the crates and two people stacking them up underneath. Each pair stacking and being ontop were given two goes to see how high they could get before the crates toppled over. It was great fun watching the stacks go up but even greater watching them fall over with Scouts and Explorers on ropes hanging in the air until the crates were cleared and it was safe to come down. The explorers managed to get the highest with 9 rows (I think it was) but two of the scouts gave them a run for the money with almost getting 8 rows which was a fantastic score.

Crate stacking was the last organised activity of the camp before we had to start thinking about striking camp and heading home. With the rest of the after we started to pack away cooking equipment and ensure it was all clean and tidy. This is probably the most borrowing part of the camp but the Scouts all chipped in and did a fantastic job to get everything clean and tidly put away. Some of the frying pans I’ve never seen so clean before. Tonights evening meal was a BBQ organised and cooked by the leaders so it was a nice easy evening. With all the wood that had been collected we gathered around a fire for the evening to sing a few songs and talk about the week. Asking everyones best and worst bits of the camp. Before long it was time for supper and bed, leaving one more day to go of striking camp!

Summer camp was really good especially being able to try new activities, cook new foods and learning to work in a team. At the beginning of the week, we were all struggling to work in a team, but by the end we were all working together to get things done so we could have more free time.

There were a range of activities for us all to try. Some of us got over fears of heights and we all tried something new. My favourite activity was the crate stacking. It was quite funny when we fell off the crates because we could pretend to fly in the air. The swimming was a very cold experience but it was lots of fun.

It was really good to be independent and learn how to live on absolute basics and realise that we manage without TVs and computers and still have fun. Though it was great to get on the minibus at the end of the week to sit on a seat that actually had cushions.

I had a really good week and I would really like to do another camp next year. Hopefully without a thunderstorm in the middle. Thank you to leaders for organising it.

It was a lovely summer morning for day two of the camp at Broadstone Warren. It was an early start to get breakfast prepared before the activites started at 10am. The campsite looked fantastic with the sun shining as the Scouts prepared breakfast – sausages and baked beans.

Once the washing up and cleaning up had been completed it was off to the first activity of the day, which was archery. For some of the Scouts this was very familiar having done a number of sessions with the troop. For a couple it was the first time shooting, everyone did fantastically well and we did get some people hitting the 10 points area. Everyone got time for a couple of shots before it was straight onto the next activity at 11am.

The next activity was Simulated Pot-holing, where lots of concrete tubes of different sizes are buried underground. The Scouts were briefed and provided with helmets before being let loose to run / climb and crawl around the underground “caves” and “pot-holes”. The tube system was quite extensive and you could stay underground for along time without coming to the surface. After a hour it was time to head back to camp for some free time before lunchtime.

In their Patrols the Scouts prepared lunch of Quiche, salad and bread. It was a quick lunchtime and washing up to get ready for the AeroBall, which was two scouts bouncing on a trampole throwing the ball across a divide attempt to score more points than your opponent. Each game lasted 5 minutes and by the end of the hour the Scouts came back to camp exhausted. Thankfully the rest of the afternoon was free time – which some used to collect firewood for cooking.

At 5pm we joined up with the Explorers for the second of the joint activities. Everyone was looking forward to the climbing activity especially as most of the Scouts had done alot of climbing over the last couple of months. The activity lasted for an hour an half and everyone managed to have a number of ascents on the quite high climbing wall. Even the leaders had one go each. Everyone really enjoyed the climbing and everyone managed to get at least half way up the wall. Even Skip managed the top (althought he was shaking a little bit when he got back to the bottom!!!).

The evening meal like day one was centrally cooked because the next activity was only an hour away after finishing the climbing so it had to be a quick turn around. The evening meal of Sweet and Sour Pork went down well and everyone tried abit of it. With plates washed up and cleaned away plus the main pots almost complete we set out for the final activity of Day Two, the push ball tournament.

We had registered two teams in the tournament and the aim of the game was to get the HUGE ball to the other side of the field by just pushing and the ball was not allowed to leave the floor. Team A went first unfortunately they lost their first match and the other three that were played, sadly Team B had a difficult couple of matches as well and lost their three as well.

With a busy day coming to a close there was just enough time to get back to camp and have some supper of cheese and biscuits and hot and cold drinks before getting ready for bed. Sadly it was going to be an early rise for everyone the next day because of doing grass sledging at 9am.

Day Three

With the sun rising over the forest and not a sound in camp the leaders arose. Waking most of the scouts apart from one that was already up and dress and ready to get the kettle on for a cup of tea (that is what we like to see). It did not take long for the rest of the Patrols to rise with only one or two prompts. Breakfast this morning was a two stage affair of cooking and eating then washing up after the first activity of the day. After a number of rounds of Gypsie Toast (aka eggy bread) it was 9am and we joined up with the explorers for Grass Sledging.

This looked like fantastic fun (apart from the part of carrying the sledges up the hill!). On a bank there was a run that the sledges went down in a gravel pit that slowed them to a stop. There was two tracks next to each other allowing the Scouts and Explorers to race each other. All the leaders did a fantastic job help to carry the sledges from the bottom of the run to the top. Everyone really enjoyed the grass sledging and racing each other. Sadly an hour came and went really quickly before it was time to head back to camp for flag break and washing up all those pots and pans!

The next activity was abseiling after a small amount of free time. The abseiling was done on the same climbing frame as climbing just on the other side. Majority of the scouts had not attempted abseiling other than what was done on a climbing wall back to the ground. So this was a new experience to most people, some people enjoyed it more than others but we certain found a few Scouts that really enjoyed themselves and were very good at it.

After a quick bite to eat back at the site (and of course more washing up!). It was time for raft building a the small lake on site. This was being run by our leadership team with the equipment hired from site. Sadly the lake was on the other side of the site and was abit of a track before we even started! Once we had arrived at the lake we had to get the raft built and on the water. Using alot of square lashings from the Scouts we got the boat ready for its maiden voyage….. would it float? would it just sink? One of the leaders got on first to test it and thankfully it floated! Four scouts got on and they paddled out into the lake and around abit, all the lashings held really well before they returned to shore to give the other 4 scouts a go. After another 5 minutes it was time to swap again.

Once everyone had had a go on the raft and it survived without any problems it was time to pack up and leave. Leaving two leaders and a scout behind the rest headed off to the showers to get cleaned up before dinner time. There was a small amount of free time before getting the fires burning. Unfortunately the fires werent lit until about 7pm which meant we had dinner quite late this evening at about 9pm.. sadly after the washing up had been done there was not time for the planned wide game and everything was feeling pretty sleepy after a very busy two days. Tomorrow there was abit of a layin for everyone not having to get up until 8am.

Summer Camp 2010 was the first summer camp for 15th North Baddesley Scout troop for about 3 years. The Camp was held at Broad Stone Warren in East Sussex, its a massive scout campsite with lots of onsite activities.

Everyone meet up at the Scout Hut on the Sunday to get ready for the journey to the site. First things first we had to pack the Van! wow that van was packed full of ALOT of stuff for the week. The Scouts and the Explorers by chance were on camp at the same time meaning that there was alot of equipment to be packed.

It was then time for the two hour trip to East Sussex. Unfortunately the mini bus that we were borrowing was unable to make it. But as good scouts we were “kind of” prepared for this meaning that the Scouts travelled in cars upto the site (Thanks to John for helping carrying them).

We all managed to arrive on site within about 20 minutes of each other which was fantastic timing. After booking in we could make our way to the site that was luckly near the main site entrance and near the main area of the site. When I say near it was still about half mile round trip to the toliet!!! With all the equipment unloaded from the van it was all hands to the pump to get the site setup for the week of camping. With mess tents, patrol tents and dining shelters to be setup before night fall it was a large task ahead of us.

As the tents were being setup and the dining shelters / store tents sorted out it was almost time for dinner that was being cooked centrally tonight. With Pasta bolognese and desert there was some free time to go off and explorer the site / play games or just relax under the shelters.

With day one drawing to a close it was an 11pm lights out ready for an early 7.30am start the next day and all the activities that were planned.